This is a long term review of the 2010 Giant Anthem X2 26" full suspension mountain bike. I bought the bike in November of 2010 at a discount from a Morgantown, WV bicycle shop. It was a couple hundred dollars off MSRP due to the new 2011 models coming out. 2010 was a good year for this bike, the 2010 X2 is pretty much the 2011 X1. It included XT hydraulic brakes, rear derailer, shifters, and crankset (24-32-42). Mavic XM317 wheels with SLX hubs and SLX front derailer rounded out the rest of the the moving drivetrain components. The Fixik Tundra seat it came with which was hard, but was surprising comfortable and provided for really good seating options for climbing steep sections. The seat post, stem, and handlebars were Giant Contact XL. They endured the abuse of my two years of riding and racing.
The suspension was comprised of a Fox Float F32 fork and Fox RP2 rear shock. The fork had a lever actuated lockout that provided alot of adjustability. The rear shock basically had two positions, propedal and fully open. Both worked very well.
I bought this bike after having only owned two mountain bikes before which I kept for many years. A 1996 or 1997 Diamondback Sorento SE with chromoly frame. The bike was heavy, but at the time I thought this bike was the bomb. I mostly road this bike to class while in college and trail road a half dozen times. My next bike was a 2003 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo. This bike was light years better than the Diamandback and I still have this bike on a trainer in my home gym. Up to this point, I thought I had an awesome bike, but it needed some part replacements, and I decided I wanted to get something more high end since I was planning on racing. That is where the Giant Anthem X2 comes in.
Up to this point, the Giant was the best bike I had ever ridden. I had test road several bikes prior to making the decision to go with the Giant. I test road the Gary Fisher Hi Fi Deluxe and Rumblefish, Specialized Epic Comp, Trek EX 8, Cannondale FZ-120, and Cannondale Flash Carbon 29er 3. By test riding, I had to ride these bikes on pavement around town, but found some dirt roads, banks, and such to test out the climbing, descending, and comfort. I wish I could have taken them off road, but the bike shops wouldn't let me.
After test riding, I was between the Giant Anthem X2 26er (the 29er wasn't out yet) and the Cannondale Flash Carbon 29er 3. I was in love with both of them, especially the Cannondale. It came down to price and the choice between carbon frame/29er wheels and lightweight full suspension/26" wheels. Anyone who is looking at making the switch from 26" to 29" will find folks in either camp explaining how each wheel size is better. I looked hard for a 29er full suspension that could match the weight of the Giant Anthem in my price point of $2500 and there weren't any options. The Giant weight 26 lb without pedals, but the Cannondale weighed 23 lb without pedals and cost $500 more than the Giant. I was torn. I decided that since I am not getting any younger that the full-suspension would be the best bet for my back and for technical descents.
The bike came with Maxxis Crossmark tires. They are ultralight and fast rolling. I had the shop setup my wheels tubeless with a Stans conversion kit. On my first ride at Valley Falls State Park, I was ripping down a rock strewn trail, and punctured my rear tire. The puncture was too large for the Stans to seal and I had to walk the bike back to the trail head (stupid me thought I wouldn't need tubes any more so I didn't take a spare). Lesson learned, I always carry a spare tube, and I bought UST tubeless tires, notably the Hutchinson Python Light 26 x 2.0. These ended up being great tires and after a year of riding and racing, I never had a puncture.
I only got to ride the bike a few times before Winter set in in 2010. Over the Winter I trained indoors on a spin bike and P90X. I dropped 10-15 lbs of body fat, had a bike that was 4 lb lighter than my previous hardtail Hoo Koo E Koo, and I read a book on mountain bike riding techniques. In the early spring, I hit the trails, and I was so much faster than before. I entered the beginner class in the state mountain bike association and finished 4th place in my first race. I alternately got 1st or 2nd place in the remainder of the races that I rode and ended up getting first place in the series. I know that I put forth effort to train and improve technique, but I have to give alot of credit to the Giant Anthem X2. The bike was awesome for maintaining momentum on the flats and was killer on the downhills. It was pretty efficient for a FS on the uphills as well. The bike climbs like a mountain goat. Even with the dry conditions racing tires, I never had any problems with riding in mud.
My second year of racing, the 2012 season, I entered sport vet class, and not being used to the longer distances, didn't do as well, got 9th place overall in my age group. I found that the areas where I was struggling were long uphills. I decided I might pursue getting a new bike that would be more efficient at uphills. I thought maybe I should have gotten the Cannondale Flash Carbon 3 29er after all. I had sold a motorcycle that hadn't seen the road in over a year, so I had some cash to buy the Flash. I thought I would use the Flash for climb heavy or flowy smoothish courses and use the Anthem for the gnarly courses. Looking at the trails in WV, I really didn't see alot of trails that would give the Flash much of an advantage aside from the uphill sections. In addition, the Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 29er had been introduced and could potentially combine the virtues of both bikes. I decided I needed to get some trail time on a Flash and Scalpel before throwing down any more cash on a bike.
There is an awesome new shop that opened up in Shinnston, WV called Pike Street Bikes. The shop owner, Jason actually had a demo of the Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 2 29er. I took the bike out at Big Bear and Phillipi and the bike was spectacular. Unfortunately, it was also very expensive, and I didn't have enough dough to buy it. Several months later, I rented a Flash Carbon 1 29er from a bike shop in Fayetteville, WV and road it on the Arrow Head trails near the New River Gorge. The bike was pretty nice, it soaked up bumps pretty good, but when some people say a tubeless 29er Carbon hardtail is like riding a 26" full suspension, they are lying. It was definitely an improvement over a 26" aluminum hardtail, but it was no where near as comfortable as my Anthem. It was a fast bike, especially on the flats and climbs. However, when you point it downhill on some rocky rooty single track, you get bounced around a bit, and I really never felt fully in control. That is what I love about full suspension. I decided I would go with the Scalpel Carbon 2 29er and sell the Anthem since I do not need two full suspension bikes. I have since bought the Scalpel but still waiting on a buyer for the Anthem. I loved the Anthem and am really going to miss it. The Anthem is much more nimble than the Scalpel. It handles tight singletrack much better. They both do equally well on the downhills and the flats. The Scalpel shines on the uphills and maintaining speed. The bike flat out flies on dirt/gravel roads. I will do a more in depth review of the Scalpel after I have had a full racing season on it, as I have only gotten in 4 rides on it thus far.
